Daniela NICOLAIE Sustainable Tourism Destinations: Cultural Sites Generated by Romanian People of Genius as a Potential Resource for Cultural Tourism Daniela NICOLAIE1a University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, No1, N. Bălcescu Avenue, 010041, Romania Abstract: The progress of humankind brought forth the world nations’ assets. People of genius from different parts of the world, who showed interest in various areas of knowledge, increased over the centuries the cultural heritage of the people they came from. Thus, cultural tourism can put forward those works of science and art, architecture, sculpture and painting, literature and history, which became part of the world heritage through their unique features and role. Part of these works emerged from Romanian men of genius cluster. Public attitude towards cultural awareness is essential, both for the prestige of those working in this sector and for the whole system of values of Romanian cultural heritage. The aim of this article is to identify those places generated by the Romanian people of genius life activity as well as their areas of interest as potential resources for cultural tourism. The research is grounded on secondary data such as biographic method of inquiry. The results show that cultural sites generated by Romanian people of genius’s life and works represent a wide range of resources that can be integrated into a cultural tourism package for those interested in this type of journeys. Local authorities can get fully involved in rehabilitation, maintenance and protection of all these national assets as distinctive national elements that can support for an attractive tourism market. Key words: sustainable destinations, cultural heritage, cultural tourism, men of genius, Romania. 1. Introduction Regarding culture as a result of genius human mind, this has been turned into an attractive resource for cultural tourism (Busuioc, 2008). Thus, cultural tourism assets fund can be enriched with new sustainable destinations. Cultural tourism makes a wide field of interest, which combines the concepts and knowledge of cultural assets and their sustainable exploitation in tourism sector in different regions of the world and even within some smaller territories. Cultural attractions are principal factors generating tourism trips and this has spurred the growth of a large heritage industry. 1 Coresponding author: M.A.Daniela NICOLAIE, Email: [email protected] 92 Journal of Environmental and Tourism Analyses Vol. 3. 1 (2015) 92-105 Heritage, the 'buzz' word of the 1990s, is employed to promote tourism to a variety of different destinations (Palmer, 1999: 115). Many states in the world formulate policies and plans to encourage and support the development of particular forms of tourism (Light, 2007: 746) to attract both domestic and foreign tourists. Nation-states make various choices about what forms of development are considered appropriate, how they will be promoted, where, and for whom. Through such decisions, the state adopts the role of the definer and arbiter of cultural meanings (Morales Cano and Mysyk, 2004; Wood, 1984). Wood (1984) argues that the relationship between tourism and cultural identity is an ongoing process mediated by the state within the wider context of globalization and that the state may assume the role of marketer of cultural meanings, in which it attempts to make a statement about national identity by promoting selected aspects of a country’s cultural patrimony. In this context, it is not surprising that states have long encouraged domestic tourism to promote nation-building and social solidarity. Visits to places of national significance are a means of affirming senses of citizenship and identity (Edensor, 2002; Franklin, 2003; Palmer, 1999). Tourism can become a significant element of a state’s foreign policy and international relations (Franklin, 2003). As countries seek to project a positive image of themselves to the wider world and to ensure that their unique character and cultural identity is appreciated and respected by others, Palmer (1999) argues that heritage tourism is a powerful force in the construction and maintenance of a national identity because it relies upon the historic symbols of the nation as a means of attracting tourists. A nation’s history, or heritage, either cultural or technical or any other field, is one of the elements that combine to form a national identity (Palmer, 1999). Cultural tourism can be defined as „visits by persons from outside the host community motivated wholly or in part by interest in the historical, artistic, scientific or lifestyle/heritage offerings of a community, region, group or institution” (Silberberg, 1994). Cultural tourism, like other forms of tourism, brings together the personal motivation (the market) with the travel motivator (the product). Sometimes cultural tourism is very much a form of urban tourism since many of the attractions and events attended by tourists are in urban areas, often in the downtown cores of our communities. The development of cultural tourism as a generator of income and a recognized form of tourism had emerged as an objective of both heritage institutions and tourist operators around the world. Silberberg (1994) points out those heritage organizations need to communicate to existing and potential supporters their important role in helping to meet not only the preservation and educational needs of a community, but also wider community needs 93 Daniela NICOLAIE such as tourism, economic development and downtown revitalization, both in cities and towns. It is well known that the better the cultural product the greater the likelihood that residents will spend money within a region, province or country. Even more important is the ability of cultural products to attract or increase the length of stay of long-haul tourists because they bring in new money. If tourists from out of province or out of the country pay to attend a museum or other cultural site, like a memorial house or a particular monument erected in honor of a famous writer, great artist, outstanding painter, genius scientist etc., the community is in essence exporting its products and earning currency for the community and the province. Not every cultural product, and certainly not every museum or historic site, is willing or capable of being a significant tourist attraction. Considering that there are different degrees of consumer motivation for cultural tourism, there are persons ”greatly motivated by culture” (Silberberg, 1994) who travel to a place specifically because of its museums and cultural opportunities. Considering the dramatically increased importance of culture as a travel motivator, Silberberg (1994) highlights other forces which have led to increasingly more consumers of cultural tourism, such as: „higher level of education, since all studies show that persons in higher education categories are more likely to be culturally oriented”, „the increasing numbers of women in our society in positions of power and authority, since women tend to be more culturally-oriented than men”, „less leisure time but a greater emphasis on quality time experiences which cultural facilities and events offer”. Since 1980, the notion of heritage has been the subject of countless analyses and comments, evidenced in the abundant literature on its origins, semantic mutations, actors, and shifting social meanings, as well as its role as a revealer of our society’s relationships with the past and with our collective memory (Poulot, 2006; Hartog, 2003; Hunter, 1996; Lowenthal, 1998 and Amold et al. 1996 quoted by Boudia and Soubiran, 2013). For several years now, a growing emphasis on the importance of heritage has been witnessed and in the name of the urgency of safeguarding it society engaged in a series of actions concerning the identification, preservation, inventorying, and promotion of our heritage. This involves designing comprehensive policies for safeguarding the material and intangible heritage, its management and the modalities by which it is made public (Boudia and Soubiran, 2013). Together these actions contribute to the development of our knowledge on what the heritage encompasses and really means for the nowadays and coming generations. Yim (2004) emphasized the importance of intangible cultural heritage in defining cultural identity of a people or group and stressed on the fact that many nations do 94 Journal of Environmental and Tourism Analyses Vol. 3. 1 (2015) 92-105 not have an intangible heritage conservation policy. If no particular conservation policy is implemented in this age of globalization, the danger of cultural extinction is a real one (Yim, 2004). Cultural heritage is located in the field of what is known as cultural production. As culture has always been a means of distinction from what is common or ordinary, cultural development was the most significant and lasting achievement of the Romanian nineteenth century. That was a flourishing period of time when the cultural assets that sprung in different fields, artistic, scientific or literary, have enriched the European cultural values fund. That was the age when Romanian cultural personalities have lived and created their major works such as: Mihai Eminescu in literature, Nicolae Iorga in History, Constantin Brâncuși in Arts, Spiru Haret in Mathematics, Victor Babeș in Medicine, Emil Racoviță in Science, Henri Coanda in Technics and Engineering. Among all types of cultural heritage, the scientific one plays an important role in the recognition